Peterman's Choice*
America's Sin Tax

This argument will become way less relevant in the coming months....the major Draught coming across the corn growing states will have a price influence on all the corn derived food stuffs, and most of what we harvest/eat domesticly is corn based (or wheat, or soy)so the sad farm conditions will actually raise the price on corn based soft drinks, thereby saving ourselves from ourselves...but , and this is the show stopper! water is becoming more of a scarse commodity, for the growing of corn,wheat,and soy, and children! We adults prefer adult beveradges any way,mostly, so untill the corn squeezins arent there for our nightcap, and the grapes turn to raisens before the wine harvest...well, you see where I am steering this thought train.....

" The Government That Governs Least, Governs Best ..."   T. Jefferson .......

I have a friend that has been losing weight with a diet that cuts out almost all sugar; sugar in food, drinks, etc.  It's pretty amazing the kind of weight she's lost and it's pretty amazing how much stuff she has to cut out or limit because of sugar content...

On a different note, I cannot drink diet soda because it gives me migraines...  So a tax on regular soda would make me unhappy...  I'm not obese but I do start every day with a frozen coke (another story completely).

The money would fund programs to fight those diseases....................................ding, ding, ding............................we have a winner! Who knew that the gov't would start another program w/ our money? It's brilliant, almost as brilliant as the late 30's grandmother who is a teacher assistant at school and gets out of her ENORMOUS.........................(it is the largest SUV I have ever seen) SUV w/ her high school daughter's WIC tote bag. Carrying it like it was an L. L. bean or Louis Vuitton bag. Her other daughter had her baby right before school was out. I actually like this person...........she is this very nice person who just has a huge disconnect because the government has done such a grand job of cradle to grave crippling of people. The people are completely culpable as well.............................makes you wanna holler................................and people will still buy it, I have no doubt about that!
 
KEEP those brilliant gov't programs coming...........................we would not be able to function as a nation w/ out them!
 
 
 
 

Sinning is a soul tax? Personally I like a sales tax but it should be across the board so individual industries aren't targeted. Trying to micromanage behavior continues to be a failing proposition but with health care changes coming; more behavior modification legislation is imminent and it will generally be the poor the young and the uneducated who make unhealthy choices (fat poor people is a new phenom) and those are the ones with the least amount to spend. The complexity of the tax structure is reaching a breaking point. Seems this matter is the least of our worries.

All of the nutrition warnings taken together would scare almost everybody away from almost everything we eat or drink.
All of the food and drink recommendations taken together, promise longer healthier lives… right up until the food nazis pick them off one by one.
We are, none of us, getting out of here alive and being a lot closer to the exit than the entrance, I am outraged at all the efforts undertaken to deprive persons of moderate habits and tastes from the pleasure and enjoyment they should take from their meals and replace them with concern and fear.

beebs ~
You are, as always, right on the button.

Yesterday, it went from 97° to 77° pretty quickly after a rain but the humidity remained at 87% keeping it from the comfort zone.
This morning it is 71° with a nice light rain… aaahh.

Aaahh is right, Stoney.  Lucky you!  At 9:10 in the a.m. we're already at 90 with heat index 93.  The painters have been here since 5 (!) and are getting ready to leave as the sun is too much on the side of the house they're working on.  They've been coming around 6 daily and leaving around 11 or 12.  But, you know what?  I still see fools out running at 3 and 4 in the afternoon--and yes quite a few of them "are with the university."   We reached 109 yesterday afternoon.  Glad that you got a little breather up there in WI.

RIDCIULOUS!

A question (off topic but then, this topic isn't exactly a prairie fire): what is (and I don't like this term) the middle class in America?
In terms of income...

I've been in loan meetings since 6am, my mind has officially shut down for the day and it is only 9:35am.  Personally I see nothing wrong with a soda tax, I'd be willing to pay it if/when I purchased soda as long as the taxes went to programs that helped educated about and prevent childhood diabetes, obesity, and junk food related health problems.  We tax gasoline and that polutes, we tax cigarettes and alcohol that can damage our bodies, this doesn't seem all that different to me.

Stoney, i think the middle class is a perpetual motion benchmark that is viewed via smoke and mirrors by whomever wants to use them to justify their particular ideology.....which is also created in a realm of smoke and mirrors.

So the answer is...... It depends

Bebe, you calls 'em as you sees 'em my little cheeseburger..... I like's that.

IVAN, i always liked that quote. The government is supposed to be focused on keeping us on track and protecting the vision this nation was founded on....be leaders in other words.

Leave the rest to the folks who know how to handle such issues the best......even if they only know how to learn the hard way.

Would they tax public schools for pricing salads salads and other heathy fare twice as much or more than unhealthy alternatives........i kinda doubt it.

I said my piece, feel free to pick it apart.

Peacebout

Well when you are on a fixed income you can only spend what you make. So the choices of picking the best food would be what can I afford? So it comes down to Mcee D's food. To buy a healthy meal now a days us Americans who jobs don't pay well and we are struggleing believe me we have to make a choice what we can afford. Not so good choices which is a cheap meal to feed my self or my family. We don't have the luxury to have what the rich can afford such as a filet mignon with green beens almadine and a nice salad to boot. That meal alone is worth over fifty dollars to buy or even eat out. So what is easier for us, sorry Wendy's burger and fries and you get the picture. So tell the government stop telling us what to eat and tell the insurance themselves the same. Did you ever see the employess of government workers what they look like! FAT and unhealthy! So they have room to talk. That tax is not going to solve congresses problems educated parents will help  stop some of the problems not all. Gale from Pa. And also ask Bill Clinton what he ate before he had his heart attack.

In response to DEADOLL999's remark about low income families not being able to afford good food, I could not disagree more. That $50 meal you mentioned would be $12 if made with London Broil instead of filet Mignon. Fast food is not inexpensive, it is convenient and predictable. A family of four could have a feast at home for the same price as dinner at Wendy's. We should be teaching our children what to eat, how to prepare and more important, how to shop for it.

As for the actual topic...I feel so cynical about taxes and where they actually go rather than what they tell us that I can barely make a comment.

BEBE you rule, as always.

ChefDeb, I agree, the money from these so called "sin taxes" usually never goes where they say it will. I think it goes to their big fat salaries! Hey Chef, can you give me the recipe for pinapple cole slaw?? 

I'm pretty certain the Middle Class is anyone who isn't Rham Emanuel, Eric Holder, and the King Himself.  Exclude too Obama's maids, footmen, cooks, food tasters, caddies, shoe polishers,  and all the others who serve Obama and his family - they're in the class of Nothings, who gave up their vote in November 2012 to Him, and found themselves not just broke, but at His beck and call.  Which was His plan all along.  

On the mark Park4 By the way, I want to eat anything I want, after all, this is suposed to be AMERICA!!! And don't tax me for it to suit government needs because the KING has spent it all and keeps printing more.

On the mark Park4 By the way, I want to eat anything I want, after all, this is suposed to be AMERICA!!! And don't tax me for it to suit government needs because the KING has spent it all and keeps printing more.

Hey, I repeated myself :)

Never buy a 2 liter of soda for more than $ .69 cents....look for sales...Used to be a Coke fan..but now after children...like Pepsi...and I only buy my soda pop for 69 cents for a two liter.....Repetition is a mothers' skill...only buy a 2 liter of soda pop for $ .69 cents....and every time you pour out an ounce or two...squeeze the plastic...bottle to keep the carbonation longer..it works..a good idea....for keeping the flavor...diet pepsi please over ice...3 ounces for me...taxing soda pop ridiculous...tax the public schools for selling unhealthy food...and...getting away with it...stop recycle teachers over and over...to keep their paychecks .....and switch the coaches...so they do not get too comfry..year after year...after year...quality never challenged...people have turned away from public school belief system....and like computer....online learning...more control and feedback for the students...wonderful...puts alot of competition into the teachers arena.....with the money benefits...year after year ...year after...year.... not a good idea...money bucket..very low percentage of thestudents learn and the teachers get paid.....includes pension gratifications only to the state teachers...over-an-about-gratification....the fix ...raise community taxes..to pay teachers enormous sums of money...is also ridiculous... ,

Good morning all! Like I said once before, we no longer have a government "of the people, by the people and for the people but rather one "Of the government, By the government and For the government. Unless some radical change takes place, where do we stand as a free thinking and responsible (only to ourselves) people?   

I say tax us all by the pound.  Weigh in every week at your local coin
operated mirror and scale (Road Yacht can work out the details).

Working with numbers supplied by the
USCB, the median family income is $52000 per year and the median housing unit
is $188000.  That would indicate that 25%
on either side would be the middle class. 
The median family is 2.6 capitas. 
Quick math gives us an income level from $26000 to $78000 and a house
valued from $94000 to $282000 to qualify as middle class.  Unless you want a smaller middle.  That paints a broad swath.  I say tax us all by the hairs on our heads.   Head
count weekly at the coin operated mirror and hair numberer.  (Road Yacht can work out the mechanics).

ChefDeb ~
Ha! I was waiting for that.
We used to buy really cheap boneless pork ribs or chuck roasts, brown in oven, braise with onions and mushrooms in stock all day, refrigerate over night, then skim most but not all of the fat and make gravy.
Marvelous over buttered noodles or mashed potatoes, in half a baked acorn squash, over rice or even on toast.
We could feed twelve people twice for about a buck a serving including a vegetable… beverage, tax and gratuities not included.
If a person can tie his/her shoes, he or she can do that… period.

ChefDeb I agree that it doesn't cost more to eat healthy, you just have to be a smart shopper.  Eating out, even just at mcdonalds is far more expensive than making similar yet healthier meals at home, especially for 2 or more people. 

How about this?  Every time a politician tells a lie, he/she has to contribute $100 to the US treasury.  That would either pay down the defecit quickly or clean houce inside the beltway. All statements would be vetted by the coin operated truth mirror (Road Yacht...yes he will be a busy man...can work out the design).

A truth mirror.  What a lovely idea.  Obama goes first.  Not because I think he's a Marxist (shocked face) but because as all those who clean house know:  to clean a house properly, you start from the top and work down.

As a (gasp) former member of the Federal Government (I worked for CDC in ATL for 17 years) and as a public health professional I can tell you...this ain't gonna work!  Look at the lottery.  Who is most likely to buy a ticket?  The ones who cannot afford it.  And (ahem) as a person from SOUTH of the Mason-Dixon line (and proud of it), I can tell you that the people who fill the casinos to gamble...and fill THOSE coffers are the ones who can least afford it.  Food stamps didn't change the way people ate and eat (although the intent was for folks to buy nutritious food with them) nor did the WIC program.  Why should this one be any different?  Why should it be any different than Social Security (I could REALLY go on about that)?  Who would make the decisions as to where the dollars would go?  Expert panels, who are usually filled with academics with the goal of getting the dollars funneled their way---to universities who charge up to 102% overhead (go Stanford!), or legislative staffers (who, by the way, are probably the ones who came up with this...not your elected officials) that are typically 20-25 years of age (and quite full of themselves, I can assure you)?
 
However...I will attempt to calm down and say some things DO work...like CDC.  I have never seen more dedicated professionals in my life.  We all could have been out in industry, or private practice, or where-ever and made a heck of a lot more money, but all CHOSE to dedicate themselves to the health of the American public.  So I cannot, in all honesty, say government doesn't work.  It's just the strictures that we could function under (i.e., the legislation) that was broken.
 
Having said all that, does anyone know how I put up a picture of the REAL Inky Tinky (my WHITE miniature poodle named Tinkerbelle, who got the name when she walked through some paint overspray on a dropcloth...then proceeded to walk all over my new deck!)?

EthelRose,I am a teacher.  Perhaps I misunderstood your post.  If I did, please forgive me. But, let me assure you I DO not make enormous sums of money.Just yesterday I went out and bought school supplies for my students in the fall.  I do this because the students need these items.  Later on today, I will put in a mail order for more items for my classroom start up in August.  This will be OUT OF POCKET for me.  I also sometimes buy cleaning supplies for my classroom, I buy hand sanitizer, and incentive goodies for my students.  I do this because: 1.  I love my students, and 2.  the money allocated to me for classroom supplies will not cover everything needed. When school begins, I work usually 7 days a week.  I got home with a stack of tests on Friday that take FOUR hours to grade, record, file, and folder.  Then there are the 35 lesson plans that must be witten every week.  My plan time is usually for running copies, or dealing with students who need help.  My lunch time is usually about 25-20 minutes long.  My classroom is not air conditioned, so it's always 84-86 degrees every afternoon.  I do not get paid for working extra from home, but I have to do it in order to to the job properly.  Then there's work that needs to be done AFTER the school busses pull off the lot.   You may be like so many others who think teachers work from 8:00 to 3:00 and have summers off.  You really do not have any idea how difficult it is.  It's a hard job, but it's fulfilling and I love it. So, please do not prey on teachers.  We are some of the most disresepected people in the country.We are blamed for students' low test scores.  We are blamed for behavior.  And the parents for a large part (although there are some great parents out there) do not accept responsibility at all.  They come to meetings with manicures and pedicures. gold rings, iPhones, designer purses,  and multiple tattoos.  Yet, their children do not have basic school supplies.  There are teachers I know who have bought students winter coats, slip  fruit into backpacks for after school snacks, and help buy Christmas presents for families because they don't have anything. Almost every teacher I have known really cares and works many many hours for free.  AND I do not drink Coke, Pepsi, or any soda.  It's unhealthy.

Paolos, I like the lie jar...very much like the swear jar, wonder if it would really work ;)

spring rain--having just come from the trenches myself not too long ago I empathize and sympathize with you 100%.  I've purchased clothes, I've brought home clothes and laundered them, I've shampooed hair at school, and the amount of my own money spent on supplies is obscene!  Bebe does it, as well, as did Mooseloop.  Teachers are the most undersung heroes there are.  And it's a shame that those that are incompetent to teach or manage a classroom get the same paycheck.  Life really isn't fair, I think.  And then I think of the those kids that I did that for and my life looks a lot fairer than theirs.  Keep up the good work and don't be disheartened......you touch many lives and may just be an agent of change in a few.

Spring Rain, you are a hero like BEBE & CAROL & MOOSELOOP ... When I saw ETHELROSE's remark I assumed it HAD to be an error of some kind because I think all of us, at least here in the Village, know what a crime and a sin it is how our teachers are paid. Thank you for your dedication. Its teachers who will save the world.

Another tax on anything? No, No, and NO!

Education....spend the time and energy on educating people!! To eat better, eat less, and avoid the sugar and ugly tasty things that make us sick and fat!

Run an ad about every break in the TV shows that people watch most....Just as they did with "This is your brain on drugs," the ads could read, "This is how much fat you are adding with that sugar (soda, pizza, fries, or whatever they want to show)." It is only fair to all people if it is in the form of EDUCATION, INFORMATION, not taxes or coercion. The other thing that works is a payoff.

If there is some kind of payoff for losing weight, or staying healthy, like a reduction in your health insurance cost, or a tax rebate for a doctor's letter that says you lost 50 lbs. or got off high blood pressure meds, or some such incentive, then people might do it.....but, please, no more Nanny State making more laws to regulate our behavior. Rewards, ok, Punishments, no.

ChefDeb is right about the healthy foods not costing too much....Dr. Oz has been showing folks cheap and healthy foods, and cutting the PORTIONS!! YOu can do it if you KNOW what to do....again, it is education! (Also, thanks, ChefDeb for the kind words for teachers! It is a miracle they can find people willing to teach now with so many downsides to the jobs.)

Spring Rain---you are a goddess!  I started my career as a teacher in middle school and high school in a very small Arkansas town, so I can relate to what you say about working your fingers to the bone and buying your own supplies, while being paid minimal ducats.  Plus it isn't a year-round paid job, although you do spend the entire year devoted to it as you have to keep up your certification and at least attempt to advance by earning a higher college degree.  You hang in there, Girlfriend!

Good teachers are saddled with two things beyond their control: the damage done by the worst among them who have lost it or never had it but come to do their worst everyday and cannot  or will not be fired… and the unions with very highly paid leaders spending tens of millions of to influence elections at every level.

Oh, and thanks to korthal you might actually get to see Tinkerbelle...and her four sisters will follow in rotation!

I'd say get the soda and junk food vending machines out of public schools, but they enjoy that revenue stream too much to give it up.

There was a big discussion on Neal Boortz's show this am about the schools that have the kids bring "school supplies" on the first day, and then dump them into a communal cabinet for the entire class to use. A mother was outraged that her child had carefully picked out the kind of paper, pencils, and colors he wanted to use, but came home crying and upset that he will not be able to use "his" things because the teacher has put all of the supplies into one big class supply closet. This kind of classroom suppresses individuality and rewards the ones who do not bring anything.

I don't know if this approach is common, but was not in force when my kids were young. (As a high school teacher, I am probably "out of it" about elementary rules.) The parent and Boortz interpreted this behavior as communistic, depriving the child of his own things, and an indication of how "public schools teach socialism." Now, of course, my hackles were up. I went to public schools, my kids did, and I want public schools to continue. I do not see our schools as brainwashing arms of the State.

It is the teacher ( or the principal) that makes the difference. Some schools make money off the soda drink and candy machines. (Which other principals refuse to put in bc they are unhealthy, but some do for the % they get.) There are other ways to have discretionary money from the office, so that the principal can give each classroom teacher some money to buy for the poor or ones who lack materials....(One school I worked for had a $100 per teacher gift from the principal's discretionary fund at the start of the year for whatever the teacher felt he/she needed for the classes.) There are PTA funds, whole-school fund-raising, and percentages of the sports' gates, school pictures sold, and such activities if they are managed right. And, as stated above, many of us teachers spent out of our own pockets (about $200-$250 a yr.), but claim it on our IRS returns. That is a legitimate deduction.

I think the children deserve to have their own pencil box, own notebooks, and their own pencils that they picked out. There is also a place for the classroom to provide for the ones who have no parent to buy nice supplies for them....As noted above by SpringRain and others, many of us teachers either got the money from a principal's fund or out of our own pockets, but we did not take away the other kids' things to give to the ones whose moms did not send supplies....!

My own granddaughter's school solves some of this disparity by having a suggested list of supplies for each child to bring, and then adding a suggested list IF PARENTS WANT TO DONATE to the entire class....Of course, we always do, and send more than asked for! They now list tissues, hand sanitizer, paper towels, plain wide rule paper, plain yellow pencils, and basic magic markers. I send these and more....I know how a teacher feels when some parents prefer to spend their money on costly shoes or TVs or clothes and send the child to school without supplies, knowing the school will provide them. It is in t he same category as the OUT OF CONTROL free breakfast and lunch programs!! Some parents will not get their child supplies (or breakfast or lunch) because they know the school will provide it!! To borrow from a weight-loss program on TV a few years ago, "Stop the Insanity!!"

Teachers are special and face another problem not yet mentioned.  Trying to teach and keep discipline in a classroom when they are no longer allowed to discipline and copping with the parent who doesn't want little Susie's or Johnny's self esteem "endamgered."  I can still remember that I was in more trouble at home, as were my daughters, if I got into trouble in school.
 
Do you really think a tax on soda will stop those who want it from buying.  Take cigarettes as an example.  So far as I know in the case of those who quite smoking it was because they wanted better health not because the price went up and up and up, and not because of the tax.
 
 

Miss Spring Rain, Miss Carol, Miss Bebe, Miss MooseLoop ~ I
don't know when it all started, but I know of NO other public sector employee
that is EXPECTED to invest their own money into supplementing the services that
they are paid to provide.  And ALL you say is true especially at the
elementary level.  We should take a real hard look as well at the Board members
and the Administrators as part of the problem more often than part of the
solution.  Teachers put in too much time and take too much undeserved bad
rap. I, for one, admittedly owe all my own charm and wit to them teachers what
guided me through those many difficult years of schooling.

NOW the important UNANSWERED question from yesterday... WHERE IS THAT PERMANENT RECORD KEPT?  Not
asking for my own sake (mine own record is both stellar and unblemished), but
for a dear friend.

 Thanks

Wouldn't it be Eye-opening, indeed to view the permanent records of a random few poster.....let's say for instance Paolos, Stoney and RoadYacht.....I'll bet the records are full of madcap mayhem and mysterious still unresolved incidents where the finger of blame fully pointed, but nothing could be proved beyond the shadow of a doubt.   But the teachers' intuition knew who was responsible, don't kid yourselves. 

I am no goddess. . . I just do what I do because I want to.  I am weary of "teacher bashing" from the public who had not idea what we do every day. 

Ms Typical teaches third grade and she spends her own dough on stuff but the system where she works cranks out good students & I write it off anyway and the insurance is good and the Spring and Fall breaks are great vacation times and I love it when she takes off her glasses and puts down her papers & I get to be the pupil and misbehaving' is alright by me. I loved public school and when I go over on to Career Day in my Justice League of America Shirt or wear my Grinch outfit at Christmas and surprise them or when she brings the class to see me in a play I am rewarded by those big smiles and I think the world's gonna be fine especially when one of her grown up students comes over and tells her she was the best teacher he ever had. Damn Proud.

As I pack the old bag had me a Steinbeck Moment- "When I was very young and the urge to be someplace was on me, I was assured by mature people that maturity would cure this itch. When years described me as mature, the remedy prescribed was middle age. In middle age I was assured that greater age would calm my fever and now that I am fifty-eight perhaps senility will do the job. Nothing has worked. . . In other words, I don't improve, in further words, once a bum always a bum. I fear the disease is incurable." I am a Dharma bum and tonight will be having homemade Pimento Cheese.....

TT and other south of the MasonDixon liners---I was raised in Yankee territory and came late to the delight known as Pimiento Cheese, but it was love at first bite and I've been faithful ever since!  I even asked a friend who made goat cheese if she could make a pimiento cheese flavor, but she never did..........and I'm glad because I've never really liked goat cheese.

And a gigantic Soda Pop or as pappy would say a sasparilly. Unlimited refills @ Typical Soda Shop. Double Green Stamps every Wednesday and where it's ok to be a jerk- soda jerk that is- and where 100 posts are as normal as Church on Sunday.

I agree with Stoney @ his 4:36 comment.  Each and every word; he's correct.....I'll take my own leap off the cliff and go past that and say that Unions are the devil's own creation , and that union membership does no good for our excellent, hardworking teachers, the likes ofwhom are represented here in the Village - no good comes of unions for you, but they protect those less than wonderful teachers from being fired, which they should be, if they are not performing at their job......As for working 24/7, any dedicated person works 24/7 at their job - you don't close your mind to it when the whistle blows.  I know this because I am a small business owner who did not build my own company, I'm now being told, and in fact, we should be so grateful to The Government for having built it, so we could run it, that we need to pay more taxes to the Government in gratefulness dollars, for without The Government according to His Nibs, we wouldn't have this small business that we thought all along was our own creation.   We've been working 24/7 for the Government, I guess - and come to think of it, in Obama's skewed view, that's just what he wants us to do:  be slaves to his Government and Himself.......................Teachers, if you're angry about getting little or no respect, let me tell you how angry business owners are, and I would, but there's no word for the anger we feel at the insult directed at us, and the arrogance exhibited by this man we call commander in chief.

Teacher’s job description:

Must have basic bachelor’s degree and, if hired, be willing to attend night, weekend and summer college classes in pursuit of advanced degrees.

Must be willing to work for modest professional pay that is constantly criticized as too much for too few hours – despite the many extra hours spent preparing lesson plans, grading papers, continuing your own education and more -- and with salary increases being infrequently and often begrudgingly given.

Must be a combination of teacher, substitute parent, minister and drug, sex and bully counselor and maintain discipline without offending parents and upsetting administrators.

Must have sufficient patience to deal with some parents who would not be happy in Utopia – even if there were a Utopia and they were in charge of it – and who have no idea where their children are at 10 a.m., let alone 10 p.m. And whose idea of parental involvement consists mostly of attending a school football game.

Must be able to maintain professional demeanor and remain on an even keel in face of a growing, militant, hostile, vitriolic and uninformed and ill-informed movement – led mainly by radio and television talk show boys and girls whose age surely is double their IQ – whose chief purpose in life seems to be to demonize and humiliate teachers and brand them as union goons.

Must attend as many after-hours, school-related events as possible despite sacrifices to family and personal life, to demonstrate constant interest in students.

Must maintain sufficient physical strength to disarm students bearing guns and knives and to break up and bring under control students twice your size and strength whose chief purpose in attending school seems to be to engage in frequent fights.

Must be cheerful at all times, especially when coming face-to-face with parents who can’t accept the fact that their children can’t make the grade and/or have to be disciplined and who sometimes come to class stoned, drugged, underfed and sleep-deprived and who doggedly insist that any problems are your fault because they are taxpayers and for that reason raising their children is your total responsibility, most certainly not theirs.

Must always be willing to teach-to-test, subject matter be damned.

Cautionary Note: Teaching positions are not expected to be available for some time since educational costs must be slashed in draconian budgetary moves to cover money lost granting corporate tax breaks. Meantime, please continue to pursue advanced degrees and remain on call in case circumstances unexpectedly change. Remain upbeat and remember that education always is our No. 1 priority.

ETHEL ROSE, SEAPANSY, OUR LADY OF THE CRAZIES or whatever you're going by at this hour.....................What an embarassing post...............none of the currently employed teachers or retired teachers on this site have ever begged for a ticket to Las Vegas, so get a job & QUIT slagging off a group of people you have no clue about! Yes, there are awful teachers out there who have no business teaching as there are awful people in every single profession; it's life.
 
SPRINGRAIN..............many thanks for putting that twink post in its place! Great post, no need to elaborate on it!
 
PARK....................I cannot even imagine how frustrating it must be to be a small business owner & keep up w/ all the new tax regulations, healthcare, etc. I imagine you all have to spend some considerable cash to have a professional figure it out for you. And that's why I spend as much money locally & w/ the small business owner as possible. YOU all are what make this country wonderful!
 
CHEFD & STONEY.....................agreed, one CAN cook for much less than fast food. Fast food should be a rare treat for a kid, NOT a regular part of meals. yes it takes some time to cook well & healthy, but once you get the groove going it is as comforting and as natural as anything. I cringe when some co-workers talk about what they gave their kids for dinner.
You get out of food what you put into it. With practice you can get several meals from one night of cooking.And you know what is going into your body. The small of foodcooking is also what makes a house a home...................
 
PAOLOS...............fabulous idea!
 
STONEY, PL, & CHEFD......................thank you.........................
 

Uh, that would be smell......................

BEBE--you go girl! I love that nobody gets ANYTHING past you!!

Chef Deb ~ Do you know where they keep those permanent records?  The teachers here are not very forthcoming on the subject.  It's like some Masonic secret.  I know if they kept them in the school kitchen, you'd be able to get to them for my friend.  I bet you the POTUS knows where his is kept...far away from the press. I wonder if Dan Brown knows?

The only person I have ever known to have seen his permanent record is… me.
I called to ask about something I had been put through that most kids had not and a lady checked and explained and then said: "You busy because there is some interesting stuff in here."
I had to ask where the double secret archives were held and spent an hour and a half reading everything through ninth grade.
Sorry Ralph, sorry Elroy. Donald… not so much.
There was an interesting copy of a note to Mom explaining why a teacher had asked to keep a paper I had written: "The best narrative skills I have ever seen in a student that age."
And a note back from Mom: "I know, he could give me a five hundred word story in one hundred words if he were grounded to his room and has," 
I was really grateful for the chance to poke around in the past and I didn't even have to ask.

Bebe, crazier gal, I am a College Professor...advanced degree...Master of Learning...if my paragraph post caused so much as a settle stir..to help provoke thought.....on this opinionated thoughtful dialogue...on the issue of "Taxing Pop,"...just see....... what I can help change on important issues of concern... to help better health, wellness, education on individual's life....I volunteer and help all generations of people, a lifetime of helping others...ie., I gave up my lunch hour to help volunteer everyday of the work week to help prepare "Meals on Wheels.." for Senior Citizens... when I write letters and author...my essays for others to read...they are thoughtful.....if you read the post on Las Vegas is was a "strong will," thought on expensives and Donald Trump...it was actually a droll comment...ya ya...sis cum ba..thanks for your thoughtfulness of me... ;)

- I didn't take the coin operated "hair counter" challenge---too busy perfecting COIN OPERATED CONGRESS......almost got it 100% now...

Peter Lake ~
Andre Dawson and Boondock Saints on the same night?

Good teachers are a treasure, a valuable asset to society. They should not, however, be expected to assume the roles that belong to parents.

I greatly admire those who volunteer for worthy causes. Not so much those who have to pat themselves on the back for doing such work to impress others. Doing the right thing is minimum expectation of a caring human being.

In the words of Paul Simon....... I don't find this stuff amuzing anymore.

Good night Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are.......

MOOSE & CAROL........................great posts!
 
PL....................am finishing the movie Shampoo....................guess who wrote the score for it? Paul Simon...........................good night you my friend..................
 
ETHELROSE.................you can go to nutter town all night long, but you don't get a free pass on slagging teachers or begging for a ticket.........................the wink is PARK's............

to..................doh..............

Paolos - Due to the Open Records Act, a student and/ or his parents are entitled to see his permanent records and to have them when he graduates gr. 12. When I last taught, it was common for the counselors to tell home room teachers of seniors to offer the graduates their permanent folders....if they wanted them. A few did, but most did not bother. They were stored somewhere for a certain number of years, then thrown out we were told.

In the "old days" it was common for teachers or administrators to write personal comments on each child's annual progress report, such as "does not play well with others," or "seems depressed and angry all the time." But, with enlightenment in the 1980's, such comments were banned and nothing derogatory was to be put down. The record was to show test scores, grades, factual accounts of any kind of interaction with the school staff, and to record the dates of parent conferences with only the most hygienic facts in print. ( The permanent record folder became quite boring, unless you want to see your accomplishment percentile again just for the satisfaction of it)

It just so happens...member of the ultimate fresibee Slag team...coincidence...pop4me is kind of cute...handle...for those that are pop soda lovers...pop is sometimes good to aid ones digestion...and again drink soda pop in moderation....

My opinion, is that,, I , after witness to a magnificent failure rate in our Pennsylvania schools, as a parent, I would never entrust my children or grandchildren to public school system, if I could avoid this type of education..,.I would prefer performance art school, online computer school, and a private school, home school program, along with weekly music lessons, and swimming classes at the local YMCA...this is my opinion...public schools are political and not enough funding goes to the students...and many of the facilities...are inadequate...I want to especially complain about the "over crowded classrooms" and enormous drop-out rate....and the high rate of teachers refusing to work.....on a daily basis...it is documented and that is one reason...our educational system in the state of Pennsylvania has failed;it is pathetic...the majority of students are failing..we have far more failures than successes...

EthelRose, have you ever spent an ENTIRE DAY in a classroom?  Have you SEEN teachers who will not do their jobs?  I have taught over two decades.  What I have seen happen down through the years are irreseponsible parents who will not allow their child to take responsibility for ANYTHING.  I see parents who will not put their children to bed at a decent hour.  Children who do not even have a bed in which to sleep.. . . students who never have anyone help them with homework. . . .BUT we again return to teacher bashing and school bashing.  The STUDENTS need to be held accountable and the parents need to grow some backbone and be ACCOUNTABLE for their parenting.  The parents need to uphold and support the teachers.  When schools have parent teacher conferences, or prepare long hours for a parent workshop on how to help their students achieve in school, these are poorly attended.  Usually the parents who come are the ones who need a pat on the back.AND NO the majoity of students are not failing.   If parents put as much concern and enthuasim and passion into their OWN child's education as they do at little league games, we would be better off. We are becoming a country of accolades without achievement.

Spring rain, very well said! Applause!

PL......................I'll ditto that applause & double you! Way to go SringR..........................

Spring Rain, you might not think you are a goddess, but you are!  I remember my friend who taught first grade in the same small school system I started in (and then moved on to become a college professor EthylRose, before moving on to CDC) who told me the story of one of her first graders who, being taken out of town for the FIRST time in his LIFE, looking at the Christmas decorations in the mall (that was only 10 miles away) and saying (forgive me folks...his words, not mine) "Dod-damn, Teacher! Dod-damn!"  I think I cried for 20 minutes after she told me that!  I had a child who would regularly come to school with bruises on her or cigarette burns (her mother loved her so much she did THAT!).  Of course I reported it and got buppos for my efforts.  You are quite right.  The parents SHOULD be accountable, but I had so few come to parent-teacher meetings I felt a pariah.  No, they rely on the boob-tube to be the baby-sitter-teacher-parent-substitute in their homes.  THAT'S what has gotten us to the condition we are in now.

SPRING....................doh.............

BTW, to do a brief change of subjects, if there are any horse-lovers out there you HAVE to go to the following website.  It has the most beautiful black horses!
 

http://www.youtube.com/v/Y5XJbSqwriM?version=3&feature=player_detailpage

Thank you.  I ama no gooddess.  I knnow one day I will stand before God and that teachers will be judged more harshly than others.  I must do the best I can do every day.  I work with the BEST teachers.  Most are much more creative than I am, many are more talented and smarter than I am. What I am about to write applies to SOME parents and not ALL parents. . . but in the past two years, there appears to be a growing number of SOME  parents like this. The educational system does not need more money thrown into it.  Parents MUST assume responsibility and TEACH their children to behave, to respect others, and to realize they are not the center of the solar system.  When their child's teacher lets them know their student has performed badly on a test, is not doing homework, or misbehaving at school, teachers NEED parents who will support them and not attack us. . . this "NOT MY CHILD" attitude is NOT good or respsonsible parenting.   What will this country be like in 20 years when these children are adults?  They are not being taught to be men and women of integrity.  They are not being taught to work and work hard.  They want everything handed to them for free.  They don't want to put forth any effort in order to achieve. Please pray for teachers and do not prey on us. I will say nothing else about this topic.  Thank you all for allowing me to articulate these honest albeit blunt thoughts.  I appreciate your support and understanding and concurring comments. Have a good evening.

GINER```I JUST LOVE HORSES.IN FACT ON THE WAY TO WORK THIS AM ONE WAS PEEKING HIS BEAUTIFUL FACE OUT OF HIS TRAILER, I ACTUALLY WEPT, HE WAS JUST GEOROUS. I AM ON MY WAY TO THAT WEB SITE. THANKS!!

Ginger---wow how magnificient, I found myself spellbound with my mouth open. OMG what a truly blessed creature of God. wow!!!!!!THANKS

Magicangel, it was more than my pleasure.  As you saw from today's discussions, I grew up on horses, but it has been many years since I have had one.  I had my eye out for a nice Arabian, but I might just change my mind after this!